Bowling game



Feb. 20, 1951 J.L. CARROLL BOWLING GAME Filed April 9, 1947 JOH L 'CflaeoLL,

Qiturnrg Patented Feb. 20, 1951 1 BOWLING GAME J hn L. Carroll, Baltimora Md. Application April 9,- 1947, Serial No. 740,370:

This invention relates to entertainment equip-- ment and more particularly to games of bowling and the like, especially those operating in conjunction with coin slot mechanism.

'In the present forms of bowling games, the pins have to be replaced in position after being knocked over, by hand or by an independent mechanism arrangement that picks the pins up bodily, carries them to the proper location, then sets and releases them. The arrangement is cumbersome and involves many parts and expen* sive construction, and is not suitable for small, or household use. Also it does not avoid the I necessity for extra help to pickup and returnthe balls.

It is therefore an object of. the present inven-* tion to provide new and improved bowling game equipment that will avoid one or more of the disadvantages and limitations of the prior art.

Another object of the present invention is to provide new and improved bowling-gameequipment that will operate readily.

An additional object of the invention is to provide new and improved bowling equipment that will employ pin means subject to proper placement and positioning with a minimum amount of mechanism and have simple construction.

, Other objects will become apparent as the invention is more fully set forth.

For a better understanding of the invention its principles, and its objects, reference is made to the appended drawings and the description following. These together illustrate a particular form of the invention by way of example, and not limitation, to make the operation, structure and functioning clear, while the claim points out the general scope of the invention.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a bowling game embodying this invention; with part broken away to show the ball delivering mechanism;

delivery and coin slot mechanism; and

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Figure 1, showing the pin board in raised po- "sition.

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

In the particular structure shown in the drawings, a framework Ill, having supporting sides ll,

f 11' Qlaim. (Cl. 273-41) I The frame work has down which the balls l3 are are rolled when propellel by the player, to knock over the pins I The pins M are made of flat material and are hinged at It to the playing field apron It so they will stay upright in one position and fiat against the apron lli in another.

j The pins are placed in the conventional p0- SiOn usually used in American bowling. The playing field apron N5 of the runway where the pins M are situated is divided from the rest of the runway |2 by being hinged flush therewith at I! in order to permit it to be angularly raised upward from the plane of the main runway. l2. This permits access to the underside of the runway and the mechanism used in raising the pins and to the return channel for the spent balls. Beyond the-field apron H5 and attached to ,the frame I0 is a ball pen l8 into which the balls l3 are sent whenthey pass off the playing field. The bottom plate IQ of the pen I8 is tilted angularly in a downward direction to allow the balls l3 to run into the return channel under the action of gravity. This channel is of cylindrical ductform and is slanted downwardly to the front of the framework I] under the runway |2 whereit is. arcuately bent at approximately right angles into an apertured sleeve 2|. This sleeve is covered underneath by a slider 22 that closes the aperture 23 normally, under the action of coiled springs-24. The balls I 3 are of such size with respect to the channel 2|! that they can roll down inside it without obstruction and easily turn the corner 25 of the arcuate partinto the sleeve 2|. They cannotfall through the 'ape'r ture 23 until the slider 22 is moved out of the way to allow it.

A ball box 21 is located under the sleeve 2| to catch the balls 3 when they are dropped through the aperture 23 on the opening of the slider 22. The slider is opened when the link 28 is operated by a coin mechanism 29, when a coin 30 r is inserted into it. The coin mechanism 29 is of the standard type which can only be operated inwardly through the insertion of a coin. The balls l3 are removed from the box 2'! through a hole 50 positioned in the front of/ frame ID.

The player takes the balls from the ball box 21 in threes when he is ready to play, and after he has inserted the coin to make them drop therein for the purpose.

The flat pins l4 swing on their hinges l5 and are contacted by wire fingers 3| extending through slots 32 provided in the runway apron forms the bed for an isolated bowling game unit. Q5 ,l 6 when used for lifting the pins i l from a horia longitudinal runway zontal position to a vertical playing position. These wires 31 are relatively thin and require very narrow slots 32 to operate in so as not to materially afiect the surface and action of the apron H5.

The wires 3| are attached to rod shafts 42 that are journalled in the bearings 33 mounted on the underside of the apron 16 so as to rotate therein ina, direction suitable for operating the wires 3! in the slots: 32; These shafts are rotatably operated together through the use of' links 34 connected to them, frOm a main connecting bar 35 disposed under them. This bar 35 is operated through one of the shafts 42 having a crank like attachment 36 fastenedtoit. This attachment 3% is manually moved by a handle bar 31 pivotally connected to it and wires. are. arranged in four rows to suit the conventional layout of the pins on the apron. The guiding eye bolt 38 and handle bar 31 are placed on the side wall of the framework Hi. The bar 3 extends to the front where the player will have facile access to it. A spring keeps the handle bar, shafts and wires tensioned to their normal positions when the handle bar is-not-pulled out.

' The coin mechanism consists of a fiat slider 48 reciprocable in a channelled plate. The plate is formed to take a coin, such as" a nickel, and align it with the slider, which in turn allows the coin to propel an element 421' that causesslider 411' to open the aperture 23 in the channel sleeve 2! and allow the balls; l3 to fall down into the" box 21. When this operation is performed, the coin fallsthroug'h the channel plate into-a mone box 44. The coin mechanism returns back torts normalpositi'on under the tension of a spring; The apron It is" kept down flat in the. framework and aligned with the, runway. The apron ['6: however may be moved up sufiiciently to cause the pins. to fall over intov a position that will leave them erect when the apron is closed down to the runway level. It is believed that the operation of the device will be apparent from the above" description and by inspection of the structure shown in the drawings. The form of the invention is such that it can be readily manufactured in small or large sizes and be just as entertainiiig to the users and onlookers. The pinsican he" set up so quickly, with such little effort and from the players' position, that it avoids the use of other usual necessary help employedfor the purpose. This is. especially the case with the picking of the balls since the balls. come back automatically.

While but one general form of the invention is shown in the drawings and described in the specifications, it is not desired to limit this application for patent to this particular form, as it is appreciated that other forms of construction could be made that would use the same principles and come within the scope of the appended claim.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

A game apparatus comprising a box-like framework having supporting sides, a bottom, and a bed above the bottom, said bed including a forward runway and a rearward playing field apron, said runway and apron having meeting edgessubstantially midway of the bed, hinges between therun'way and the apron at the meeting edges; thereof mounting said apron for vertical swinging movement to permit access to the space therebelow, a set of simulated bowling pins hinged to the playing field apron, said ping being norman in upright position and falling flat on the apron when struck from the front, the apron" havin a series of openings therethrough behind each pin, a plurality of parallel shafts, bearings for'said shafts carried beneath the apron, a plu-- rality of fingers carried by said shafts and rotat- REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number. Name Date:

752,133 Walsh Feb. 15, 1904 1,111,592 Keenan r. Sept, 22, 1914. 1,877,660 Griner ru-.. Sept. 13, 1932 2,207,645 Uhr July 9, 1940 2,211,777 Aug. 20, 1940 

